


Sins Exposed

by SML8180



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Blood, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, I tried my best, I'm Bad At Tagging, Joseph literally asked for this, Pre-Canon, idk how to write for these guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 17:38:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17965097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SML8180/pseuds/SML8180
Summary: When the Project was still small, followers would question whether Joseph had actually lived such a life of sin as his brother John claimed when he convinced them to join. They questioned his devotion to what he did, as well. Not about to allow these questions to remain unanswered, the Father asks something surprising of his Baptist, who has no choice but to agree to his brother's wishes.





	Sins Exposed

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up a lot longer than I thought it would, but I’m pretty damn happy with how it turned out. I hadn’t seen anything tackling when Joseph might have gotten the sin scars that are all over him, so I decided to write my take on it.
> 
> Also, I have no idea how to write for these three just yet. I was pretty sure for Joseph and John, but not Jacob. So, for this, Jacob basically doesn't say anything. This mostly focuses on Joseph and John, anyways, so it works.

Joseph had settled in his role as the Father, though not without help from his two brothers. Despite their time apart, the three were able to form a strong bond with one another. A bond of family, and faith, and trust.

The Project was still relatively small at this time, with new members trickling in every so often. If not for his brothers, Joseph wasn’t sure if he would be managing things as well as he was. While he handled much of the main operation, he was still just one man. He had gotten his older brother, Jacob, to handle the logistics of keeping their people armed, protected, trained, and mobile; to be the Soldier. The eldest Seed’s time in the service made this an easy position for him to fill. Meanwhile, the youngest brother, John, was assigned by his brother to be the group’s Baptist. He welcomed in new members, washing them of their sins, and bringing them into their family. The youngest Seed had also taken to using his skills as a lawyer, handling any legal (or illegal) needs of the Project, and doing anything in his power to get what they needed, be it resources, homes, vehicles, anything.

The brothers were all settled indoors for the night, as it grew too dark outside to do anything. Warm light from the table lamp and fire lit the room comfortably, as they discussed general goings on among the people of Eden’s Gate. Jacob had little to report, other than a handful of jammed firearms he was having to look into, and Joseph only had positive reports of their follower’s response to recent sermons. When the conversation turned to John, though, there was a shift. Without him even speaking a word, his older brothers were able to tell that there was something not quite right.

“When baptizing new members, or when convincing them to join us, you’ve always told me to remind them that even you are not free of sin,” John’s first sentence was spoken carefully, as often was the case when he spoke. “Most accept this without question. But, recently there have been a handful who have doubted this. They seem to believe that who speaks for God, who has heard His voice, must be free of sin. At the very least, they claim that the sins you have committed should be exposed to the world.” This was a sentiment John had shared previously with his brothers, and it was something they had been working on. The youngest Seed’s skills with a tattoo gun had lead to many images and phrases being penned into Joseph’s skin. The worst of his sins, though, were nowhere in sight.

“They want tangible proof that even their Father has sinned?” Joseph questioned, looking to his younger brother. He received merely a nod in response. “Then they shall have it.”

“I’ll get my equipment, then,” John offered, beginning to stand. Joseph reached to grip his arm, halting his brother.

“Not as tattoos. No ink will be needed.”

“What are you thinking, Joseph?”

“You still carry your knife, correct?”

“Always. You can’t be thinking what I think you are, can you?” John couldn’t believe what his eldest brother might be implying.

“Be sure the blade is clean in the morning. The flock will see the sins of their Father exposed. I want no arguments.”

John searched Joseph’s face for some indication that he wasn’t serious about going through with this idea. He found that his search was fruitless, and his brother was dead serious. Without a word, John nodded, walking away to prepare his knife and ready himself for what would unfold the next morning. Jacob, meanwhile, remained with Joseph in the silence for some time, before they both retired for the night.

The early morning was painted golden yellows and oranges and pinks as the sun rose. Jacob was already out, tending to a handful of things before Joseph’s sermon. John and Joseph, meanwhile, were making their way to the chapel, walking side by side.

“You’re sure about this, Joseph? This will hurt far more than any tattoo you’ve gotten from me,” John questioned. This was the second time he’d asked this question that morning. Although he knew it wouldn’t change Joseph’s mind, he wanted to be sure that this was what his brother wanted. Carving the words into his skin would certainly be many times more painful than even the worst tattoo he’d gotten.

“Yes. I’ve already told you, John, I’m certain,” came Joseph’s calm reply. He was nervous, to a point, but he was set on doing this.

“What sins will you be exposing?”

“Greed, gluttony, lust, pride, and sloth.”

“All five? You don’t need to do them all at once.”

“We’ll keep going until I can’t take it. I don’t want you to stop unless I say so.”

“Of course. I understand.”

The rest of their walk went by in silence. The pair approached the chapel silently, making their way inside and down the aisle between the pews. A small handful of followers were already seated, some silent, and some whispering prayers. As Joseph prepared for the service, remaining followers trickled in, taking their seats in the pews, filling the space with quiet chatter and shuffling. Jacob entered with the last of them, the chapel door shutting behind him as he made his way to the front, taking his place standing off to Joseph’s side, just a bit behind him.

Joseph’s sermon was as powerful as any other he’d given. He spoke about sin, and the need to be cleansed of one’s wrongdoings so as to reach atonement and have the gates of Eden open to them upon the collapse he so often mentioned. The middle Seed confessed that even he, their Father and prophet, had lived a sinful life. This brought about chatter among the flock, and even a handful of objections and arguments implying that it was impossible. Joseph raised his hands to signal the congregation to settle down, and things slowly came back to the usual silence. With a silent motion, Joseph had Jacob bring a folding chair for him, and he began to prepare himself for what was to come.

“Greed, gluttony, lust, pride, and sloth,” he began, slipping off his black coat, setting it on the back of the chair. “These are the sins I have committed. The same as many of you. We have all sinned, and we must come to terms with that fact.” As he spoke, he turned the chair with one hand, so that the side faced the pews, and began to unbutton his shirt, the tattoos on his chest slowly coming into view. “Some of you have questioned whether or not I have sinned, and some have questioned my dedication. Now, you will see that even I have done wrong, and must atone. My sins will be exposed.” Joseph’s words were book-ended by him setting his shirt on the back of his chair as well.

John stepped forward as his brother sat down, turning his knife in his hands as Joseph explained that he would be having his sins carved into his flesh. The youngest Seed situated himself at his brother’s right side, brandishing the knife. Jacob set his hands firmly on Joseph’s shoulders to ensure that he kept still. Without another word, John went to work, starting to carve “Sloth” into his older brother’s chest. Joseph grit his teeth, clenching his fist as John worked.

The younger Seed’s hand was steady, despite the odd method he was using. As he did when tattooing, he kept a steady hand, using a cloth to wipe away the blood drawn by the act. Slowly and steadily, he cut each letter into Joseph’s skin. The result was rough when compared to his work with ink, and it bled far more, it was clear that there would be a prominent scar when wounds healed. He stood, wiping the blade clean as he observed Joseph’s face, walking to his left side and kneeling there. Being given no word to stop, the Baptist draped the Father’s arm over his shoulder, and went on to repeat the process, this time cutting “Greed” into his brother’s upper arm. A handful of pained groans escaped Joseph, and John felt his brother grip the back of his shirt and vest in his fist. The position was awkward, and he would have preferred to have Joseph’s arm on a table, rather than his shoulder to allow him more freedom to work, if he were being honest. The man had to stop half way through, and had Jacob take hold of Joseph’s arm; the position he was in was far too difficult to work with as the letters got closer to the crook of the elbow. Finally, though, he finished the second sin to be exposed on Joseph’s skin.

The Father’s breathing was heavy as he attempted to take deep inhales and calm himself. This process was turning out to be more painful than he had expected. But, he couldn’t give up, now, and merely gave John a nod, urging him to continue.

John and Jacob moved again. Jacob setting firm hands on Joseph’s shoulders again as John got down in front of them both. He looked up to his brother, giving him a chance to either call this off for the time being, or to indicate that this wasn’t where he wanted to have “Lust” carved into him. With a mere nod, Joseph let his brother know that he was going through with this, and that this placement would suit just fine. Upon the confirmation, John got to work, cutting the four letters into the Father’s skin. Joseph was clearly trying to restrain his pained noises, gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes tightly behind his yellow aviator glasses. This sin went by faster, as John was growing used to the method he was using.

By the time his younger brother finished cutting into his lower abdomen, Joseph’s breaths were coming as pants as he tried to control his response. Blood was trickling from his wounds as he let his head fall back against Jacob’s stomach for a moment, catching his breath. He only had two more rounds to go, and it would be over. As John wiped the blood away from all his wounds, he was able to calm himself. A moment for recovery passed, and rather than call off the rest of the endeavor, the Father stood, albeit with some assistance from his brothers, and turned his back to the congregation, sitting backwards on the chair. He was leaned forward a bit, resting his right forearm on the back of the chair to brace himself, as his left arm stayed by his side, blood running down it to his fingertips.

Becoming more comfortable with what he was doing, now, John stood by Joseph’s left side again, and began to carve “Gluttony” into the back of his brother’s shoulder. The process brought more pained noises from the middle Seed as his control began to waver. Secretly, he was glad that nobody but Jacob could see his face, as tears began to prick at the corners of his eyes behind the glasses he always wore. The first open yell came as the N was formed, starting to cross his spine, being followed by the Y. The tattoo he had in progress on his back hurt like hell when John worked on it, but this was far worse. The Father’s resolve was clearly breaking down as the Baptist wiped the blood away from the finished product. Now, there was just one more sin to go.

John gave his brother a moment to settle, and back down if need be. Of course, he knew that Joseph made up his mind already. He was going through with this, no matter what. Thus, the Baptist knelt down, and began to carve “Pride” into his brother’s lower back, in fairly large letters when compared to the others. Clearly, this was his brother’s most prominent sin, all three of them knew it, and the scar left behind would only prove that. Each movement was deliberate, and he braced his left hand against Joseph’s back when he wasn’t using it to wipe away the blood coming from the wounds. Even Jacob was keeping their brother still, holding firm to his shoulder and arm as the man’s forehead was resting against his stomach. Just as before, the letters closest to, and crossing over, the spine brought the worst reactions. As John finished the I, and went on to the D, Joseph let out a handful of yells, his bloodied hand gripping the leg of his pants. John finished fairly quickly, slicing the four lines to make the letter E in quick succession, simply to get it over with for his brother’s sake. The action drew a clearly pained yell from the Father, before he simply went silent, drawing in harsh breaths. Several moments went by before he was able to even think of speaking again. He wiped his eyes behind his glasses, out of view of the congregation at his back, and finally started to straighten up. With a final few deep breaths, the Father stood, and the Baptist stepped aside.

Joseph turned to face the silent congregation, full of stunned onlookers. “Just as all of you, I have sinned, and I wish to atone for my sins. From now on, if you ever doubt that you or I have done wrong, remember this day. My sins are now exposed for all to see, just as God sees the sins of every one of his children.” Joseph’s words were careful, as he tried to keep his voice steady despite the collective ache and sting burning though his wounds as they still bled slowly. He lifted his hands, one bloody, both shaking just the slightest bit, and bid that his flock go in peace, and think of what they had witnessed. Without a word, the congregation filed out of the chapel, leaving only the brothers inside.

None of the Seeds said a word for some time. Joseph merely sat back down, letting his elbows rest against his knees, his head hanging low as he steadied himself. John wiped his brother’s blood from the blade of his knife, having nothing to say. Jacob watched his two younger brothers, simply observing as Joseph took one hand and reached up, setting it on John’s wrist in a silent thanks. The Soldier took this as a sign to leave, and did so quietly, leaving the two younger Seeds on their own.

“You did well, John,” Joseph quietly praised his younger brother.

“It was unorthodox, to say the least. But, I suppose that was the point,” came John’s reply as he tucked his knife into the sheath at his hip.

“Thanks to you, I have had my sins exposed. There may be hope for you, yet, my brother, so long as you show the same devotion to God, to the Project, that you have shown me, and that I have shown you.” With these final words, Joseph stood once again, this time more steady on his feet. He took his shirt and jacket off the chair back, and simply walked out of the chapel, blood still slowly dripping from the fresher wounds in his back, and shining as the sun outside hit it.

John was now left alone in silence. He thought over his brother’s words, debating his meaning. To the Baptist, knowing how his brother spoke, found the answer obvious. Joseph wasn’t the only one of them who would have his sins exposed.


End file.
